


Call It Science

by Kay_Drew



Category: Original Work
Genre: Expiriments, F/M, Gen, Horror, Mad Scientist, Multi, Science Fiction, Supernatural - Freeform, museum
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-04-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:21:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23421619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kay_Drew/pseuds/Kay_Drew
Summary: Imagine getting an invitation to attend the ground-opening of a new museum. Just by the name alone, it promises to be an immersive expirience like none other.  Imagine that this emporium, as it's called, will change your life forever. This is the fate this group of characters is about to face. Read along, if you dare.
Relationships: June/Austin





	Call It Science

"June, that was way cool of your uncle to invite us to his grand reopening gala," Marlow said as he drove his rust-bucket Jeep into a space right in front of the gleaming, white building.

"Uh-huh. Yeah, I guess," replied the distracted brunette passenger. Her gaze was on the compact that she held with one hand. With the other, she swept emerald eye shadow over each lid with the other.

Austin looked up from the trivia cards he was reading. "Hey, junebug, didn't you hear him? We're going to a museum gala! How many chances do you get that," asked the man in the back of the car that burped fumes of oil.

"Mmm-hmmm," muttered June as she closed the eye shadow container and threw it into her purse before she grabbed the pot of rogue.

Marlow glanced at the mirror and spied his twin's, Austin, grinning and braces-filled, reflection. "Oh, look, Bigfoot wants to snap a photo of you for his collection," he quipped as he turned his gaze to his passenger and watched as she brushed a little rogue on her cheeks and threw the brush and pot into the bag as well.

"Shut up," June hissed. Her brow furrowed into a scowl. Patting her hair smooth, the woman closed her compact and placed it in her purse with everything else. "I'm sorry if I don't think this is the most economical and practical way to spend an evening."

"You'd rather stay home watching reruns of 'The Big Bang Theory' or 'Rosanne'," asked Marlow with raised eyebrows.

"I'd much rather do that stuff than spend hundred's on fancy clothes we'll only wear once."

"Junebug, you can wear that dress for our wedding. You look fierce in blue," Austin suggested as the three of them got out of the car. "And I can wear this tux. How's that sound?"

June smiled as she planted a kiss on Austin's lips. "Now, your speaking my language," the woman murmured. Taking his hand, June led Austin to the building. Marlow grabbed his camera before he followed behind them. "To save more money, you could even wear that tux to the Jeopardy."

"Uh...sure," murmured Austin.

"Anyway, who said a bride had to wear white?" the woman asked

"No one. Plus, you always liked being one of a kind," Austin replied.

Coming to the door, Austin pulled on its handle, but it didn't budge. "Guess we're early," he muttered as he grabbed his trivia cards from his pocket and began to study them.

"By what? Days? We're the only people here," June asked as she smoothed a wrinkle out of her knee-length dress and tapped her foot.

"Maybe he wanted us to come early so I could get the scoop and my pics before people swarm all through the place," Marlow suggested as he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out the invitation. His eyes darted over the paper as he read the gilded lettering,

_Dr. Igor Stein cordially invites Mr. Marlow Price, Missus June Fellows, and Mr. Austin Price to the grand re-opening of NATURAL LIFE EMPORIUM!_

_Time: 7:15 to 11:15 P.M._

_Date: August 23rd_

_Please RSVP by August 13th_

_Light refreshments along with copious amounts of drink will be served._

_Formal wear is a must._

Before Marlow can report what the invitation stated, the front door opened. All three spectators turn their gaze to the man before them. Dr. Stein, in his black 3-piece suit, was average looking – stocky frame with as light paunch, brown hair (cut short), and blue eyes set under barely-manicured eyebrows – and wasn't a menacing figure at a mere 5' 8".

"Why, hello, hello. Isn't it my favorite niece with her charming fiancé and his dashing twin," proclaimed the man with a grin.

"Good evening, uncle," June replied as she returns the smile. It diminished slightly as she noticed still that no one else had arrived. "Are we the only ones who've been invited?"

"Not at all! Not at all. You're here for a sneak peak at the renovations and additions," replied Dr. Stein. "The others'll be here shortly, but I wanted my family to see this place before anyone else as well as get dibs on the best food. Marlow looks like he needs it. You'd make a perfect skeleton model with that build of yours."

Marlow blushed. "I run and swim a lot," he muttered as Dr. Stein stepped aside and gestured to the entrance.

"I have _extra_ special surprises in store for you three. But, we don't have much time! Come along. Watch your step," he said.

Marlow, June, and Austin eye each other as if they were silently asking each other, _What sort of surprise could he have?_ June shrugged and entered with her uncle. Austin and Marlow follow. A mixture of spiced cider, fresh cookies, and mothballs greeted them. As Austin looked at old the photographs of conjoined twins, people in iron lungs, and amputees that hung on the wall, he put his trivia cards away. Marlow has his camera up to his eye as he snapped photos of everything lining the carpeted hallway – from the photos to the infant casket to the display of old medical tools to the casts of hands and feet - , thus the man only caught tiny glimpses of the museum instead of the whole proverbial picture.

"Now what? Is that the end of the tour?" asked the woman when they stopped at the end of the hall. "Your museum is great, but it's kind of... small."

"Oh no! There's more to this place! Much more. Up, down, all around. You just have to explore."

"Mmm-kay," muttered Austin, Marlow, and June in skeptical unison.

"Don't believe me? Choose a door. You'll see, or should I say, experience, some magnificent exhibits," Dr. Stein said.

"What doors," June asked, but soon she and the other spied three doors labeled, _Birth of a Being_ , _What's Within_ , and _The Heafod_. "Oh..."

"Choose a door," repeated the curator.

"I'll take that one," Austin muttered as he nodded to the door with _The Heafod_ scrawled over it. "Only because I don't see Old English used too often."

Dr. Stein smirked. "Wonderful! I think you'll be surprised what you find behind that door," the man replied as Austin steps forward. Wrapping a hand around the knob, the young man pulled the door open and went through the entrance. Dr. Stein closed the door behind Austin before turning his attention back to t the two people behind him. "So, you two, which door will you go through? June, step right up."

The brunette woman's eyes dart from one door to the other, as if she were sizing up something to wear rather than which door to go through. She tapped her high-heeled foot and chewed thoughtfully on her bottom lip. "Well, I guess I'll go with 'Birth of a Being'. I've _always_ wanted to see where we come from," June stated with an eye roll.

"I thought you'd choose that one. You'll be astounded what you see," the doctor said. When June hadn't moved from her spot, Dr. Stein's brow furrows as he asked, "Is everything all right?"

"I'm fine. It's just...I don't really like going into strange rooms."

"It's all right. I understand. It's only been two months since that hostage situation of yours. If you don't want to go in, you don't _have_ to."

June shook her head as she steps forward. "No, no. I'm going. See y'all soon," the woman stuttered as she steps forward. June took a deep breath and turned the doorknob. With the door swinging open, she entered and pulled it closed behind her.

"Now, Marlow, 'What's Within' awaits you," Dr. Stein announced as he eyed the pony-tailed man and stepped aside so Marlow could enter, 'Birth of a Being'.

"Oh goody. You make it sound like it will be so much fun."

"You'll see. Yes, you will."

With blond hair shimmering in the manufactured light, Marlow stepped forward. He opened the door and before entering, glanced back at Dr. Stein. The man had an affable smile on his round, clean-shaven face, but a glint in his brown eyes made Marlow shiver.

~*~

Austin wandered along the dimly lit, carpeted hallway with interest in his gray eyes. If he hadn't become a journalist, the man always thought he would've gone into radiology. The machines used as well as all the details the job entailed fascinated him. The only reason he hadn't gone into this field was because the sight of blood caused him to throw up and then pass out.

As he walked the passage, the stale scent of recycled air filled his nose. He gazed at the images on one side of the wall (the other side was lined with a wooden banister). There were old films of an MRI of a brain bleed and an x-ray of a stick-pierced head framed and hung with care. There was also a shelf where the skulls of a Neanderthal and a homo erectus sat. Right before Austin reaches the door at the end of the hall, he spied photographs of x-ray machines from the late 1890's, 1920's, and 1940's.

"Cool," whispered Austin.

The door opened automatically. A whoosh of cool air greeted him and blew his blond hair back as Austin blinked and stared at the sight before him. Within the middle of the bright white room he'd just entered was an MRI-like machine – that was it "What the..." he muttered as he went over to the contraption.

"Hello visitor," proclaimed a female voice from a hidden loudspeaker. "Welcome to the Heafod. It is a revolutionary machine that explores the brains activity and mental capacitive. Sir or madam, if you will lie down on the table we shall begin the interactive demonstration."

Austin looked around the room for the sound system and then for the exit, but didn't find either. He swallowed hard as he headed to the door he'd just had passed through. It didn't open. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead as he scratched his scalp. Austin wanted to figure a way out of this place before he had to get into that confined contraption. _That looks as tiny as the cave I got stuck in when I was eight_ , thought the man with a shiver, Before he figured anything out, the woman repeated her message. "Well, here goes nothing," muttered Austin as he realized he didn't have a choice but to lie down in the MRI-like machine.

The hard surface he lounged on slid within the mechanism and as it did, Austin closed his eyes. He kept them that way until he heard a mechanical buzz while he felt metal brush against his bearded cheek. With eyes opened, he saw a cagey-mask had slid over his head and its bars distorted his vision of the curved metal that surrounded him.

"Hello, sir or madam, welcome within the Heafod. The interactive demonstration will not take long, merely five minutes of your time," said the same female. "The purpose of the cage, which has just encompassed your head, is to monitor your brain activity. In front of you, a small screen will lower." Sure enough, as the woman said this, a 3X5 screen pops down from the ceiling of the machine. "Either a picture or a question will appear on the screen. When you see a photograph, you are to state the first thing you think of. If you are given a question, answer it. If you are hearing impaired, please say so, and you will be accommodated. If you are ready, sir or madam, we shall begin. Ready?"

"Ready," mumbled Austin as panic began to set in. A picture of an atom appeared on the screen moments after the female stopped speaking. "7 octillion atoms are in our body..."

A second later, the photo faded. It was replaced by a question in black, bold letters on a white background. "What word rhymes with month," it reads.

Austin frowned. "What rhymes with month?" repeated the man. "Broth... no... Touch... nope... Font... Definitely not. Nothing! Nothing rhymes with 'month'."

This answer seemed to please the machine. A minute after he utters his answer, a picture of an alarm clock set to 10:00 appeared. Austin stares at it, but found it a bit difficult to focus on the test at hand. He shrugged the sensation off because he figured the blank feeling was because his panic had intensified. "That's the time clocks in advertisements usually display."

Another picture flashed onto the screen. It was of a tiger. Austin's frown deepened. "Uh, um, a tiger's skin is striped," he muttered as the question, 'What has 3 hearts?' materialized in place of the tiger. This time, he doesn't reply – he just stared. Drool dribbled down his chin and sweat beaded at his hairline. A buzzer beeped as a hidden panel slid open.

A woman dressed in baby blue scrubs and smelling of lilacs entered the room with a wheelchair. She stood at the foot of the machine as Austin's body emerged from the Heafod. She helped him down and into the seat. Then, they leave.

~*~

June found her journey down the hallway very dull. All that lined the walls were pictures of DNA strands related to different conditions (such as Down syndrome and schizophrenia). To the woman, they looked more like bad modern art than images of what made up the human body.

"The exhibit better be more interesting than this hall. These pics are just boring. People are gonna fall asleep. There isn't even a pleasant spell to entertain," the brunette muttered as she walked through the automatic door. Iodine, formaldehyde, and rubbing alcohol greeted her nose and made June cough.

"Wow," breathed June as she took in all of the silver. Everything, but the floor, was stainless steel. It was like being in a massive laboratory. _It is a laboratory_ , realized June as she wandered between two worktables.

Her eyes flick from one thing to another as she stroked the smooth, metal top. There was too much to take in. Beakers, Bunsen burners, and test tubes filled with colorful liquid sat on the cool surface. Microscopes, computers, scales, and other pieces of equipment were also on the tables. Coming to a filled fish tank, June stopped and peered into it. There were many tiny things floating and swimming around the water. What they were, the brunette woman couldn't tell. Shrugging it off, June made her way through the room. Her high-heeled shoes clicked on the linoleum under foot.

_This place is cool, but he's got to do something about the lighting_ , June thought as she rubbed her temples. The buzz, and flicker of the overhead, caused waves of pain to course through her head. _If he doesn't want to change anything, then he should offer complimentary aspirins._

An incubator sat in front of her. Her eyes widen as she stared at it. Sure, June hadn't expected to see one here, but the machine wasn't what startled her. The child sleeping within it upset June. Seeing the baby caused the color to drain from her face.

Pressing her nose against the plastic, she stared at the baby who was haloed in brown, curly hair. Seeing a scar along its cheek, she rubbed her own scar. She turned away from the incubated baby and hurried through the room. June didn't get far before a horde of younger and older versions of herself accost her. As they came, they all said in a sing song voice, "Mommy, we've been waiting for you."

~*~

Marlow felt like he was crossing a rope bridge as he made his way through the hallway. With each step, the floor seemed to waffle left and right. Glancing down, he realized he was on a metal overpass. Far below him was darkness and emptiness. Even though he'd crossed many bridges, the apparent height, mixed with the herbal wharf smell that permeated the air, caused bile to rise into his mouth. _Wonder if the light refreshments mentioned is garlic shrimp_ , pondered Marlow as he looked back up so he didn't lose his lunch - he's seen enough. Out of fear, the long-haired man held tightly to the hand railing on the either side of him and kept his blue-gray eyes straight ahead.

At the end of the bridge, an automatic door opens. In front of him was a dark, cave-like room lined with yellowed stalagmites and stalactites. With a deep breath, he entered the space and noticed that the herbal harbor smell was even stronger within the space. Stepping on something slimy and spongy, Marlow made a face. "Eww," he whispered as he stared at the pink, pocked thing underfoot. He concluded it was a weird moss or fungi Dr. Stein had cultivated. Walking on the stuff wasn't easy. His footing was unstable and his feel sunk into the gunk. As a drop of liquid fell from the ceiling of the cavern, Marlow looked up. Just then, the as the scent of fish and herbs enveloped him, the floor beneath the man shivered and convulsed. Marlow was swept off his feet. In a desperate attempt to save himself, he grabbed the pink conic projection above him, but his fingers slipped as they brushed its slimy surface. _This is no cave_ , Marlow realized As he fell down the throat of the cavern, the man screamed.

~*~

Dr. Stein led a throng of people through the museum. A pleasant smile was plastered upon his face. "Good evening ladies and gentlemen. I'm so happy you could make it to my grand re-opening. I believe this is the best collection this place has ever had," he said as they stopped at the first, windowed exhibit. Many people mulled around the room – some were in wheelchairs while others hobbled with canes or walkers.

"This is, as you all might not know, a teaching museum," explained the man as a young man was wheeled into the room. His gray eyes are vacant as he stared at nothing. In his hands were some flash cards. "These people are here for one reason and one reason only – to show us how early-onset Alzheimer's works so that we may understand and better treat the disease. The man who was wheeled in just now, is my youngest patient. He has just arrived. Everyone in this exhibit will help pave the way for better treatments. Come along now!"

The group headed down the hallway and stopped the next window. Dark, curly haired children, teenagers, adults, and geriatric women with a scar on their cheek mingled together. They all looked happy, except for one. The woman in a blue dress wore an expression of pure terror upon her face. Dr. Stein notice this and moved to block her from the group's voice. "DNA and cloning is a personal interest to me, as you can see. I am in the midst of perfecting this process," he stated as he hurried them onto the last exhibit.

Skeletons of little people, giants, Neanderthals, conjoined twins, children, adults, and elderly filled the windowed room. Some sat on park benches while others were positioned so that they were doing something, such as running, bike riding, or raking autumn leaves. "Please look at the skeleton riding upon the skateboard," instructed Dr. Stein. "The person was a male in his early thirties. The museum just acquired him."

"What makes him so special," asked a demurely sized woman, with a fiery bob and thick tortoise glasses.

"Good question, miss. Your name?"

"Charlotte."

"Good question, Charlotte. You'll notice he has braces. Never before have I seen one with mouth hardware. His bones are also in very good condition. His untimely death was due to an acid spill."

"The poor man," whispered Charlotte.

"Ah, yes, poor man," muttered Dr. Stein before another question could be asked. After a moment, he said in a chipper voice, "Come along!" They walk past three other windowed areas that have nothing behind them. Just as the assembly is about to leave, he stopped the three people trailing behind the group. One was Charlotte, the other a tattooed man, and the third was a dreadlocked woman. As Dr. Stein gave the rest of them a look that clearly said, _Go on._ They nodded to the man before they departed through the exit.

"How would you like to work here? I could use the help. What do you say," he asked. After the three people nod eagerly, Dr. Stein continued, "Come on, let's go to my office." Obediently, the three of them follow the man, who wore a pleased smile on his face. Soon, this museum would be complete. Or would it? 


End file.
